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Doolin
or 'Fisher Street'
as it was known is a great fishing
village.
It has long been associated with great Irish music sessions, and was home to a great traditional Irish whistle player, the late Micko Russell.
A visit to the Aran Islands is an unforgetable trip and one that you cannot afford to miss. The islanders traditionally made their living from fishing. While the men were out fishing the women knitted the traditional 'Aran Ganseys'. Boats leave several times daily from
Doolin Pier.
The Cliffs of Moher
The famous Cliffs
of Moher stand facing the Atlantic ocean a short distance south. They are very impressive at over seven hundred feet high, and give visitors a high vantage point over Galway Bay and the Aran Islands. O'Brien's Tower stands guard at one end and Moher Castle is situated at the southern end. The cliffs are home to numerous seabirds,including gannets, razorbills guillemots and puffins, and the area is a birdwatcher's paradise.
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The Burren
are about 500 sq.kms of lunar-like limestone
landscape and surely one
of the wonders of this world. Its apparent bareness
nurtures an internationally famous flora. When Stone
Age farmers settled in the Burren they found the area
forested. By late medieval times the felling of timber
and the grazing of cattle produced to-days skeletal
landscape.Man has left a mass of
evidence of having lived on the Burren for thousands
of years. Material remains abound, including megalithic
tombs, stone and earth ring forts, round towers, medieval
churches, monasteries and castles. Burials took place in Poulnabrone and
other dolmens over a period of 600 years from 5200 to 5800
years ago. .
Gaelic Chieftains like the O'Briens,
the O'Connors and
the O'Loughlins - who were the Princesses of the Burren
- had their castles here. One at least, Gleninagh
Castle was inhabited until the middle of the 19th
century.
The
Burren coastline shows a dramatic and picturesque mixture
of stone, beaches and a crystal clear blue Atlantic
ocean.
The Aran Islands are an extension of the Burren
landscape.
There are numerous caves, one of which, Ailwee
Cave is open to visitors. You'll
get an inside look into the area and its mysteries if
you visit the Burren eXposure in Ballyvaughan or the Burren Centre in Kilfenora.
There's a lot more to see in County Clare - the region is rich in picturesque lake scenery, in reminders of the ancient past, abbeys and castles, in lively and colorful little towns! Click here for more information.
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